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Importing media in bulk

Last updated on 16 May 2021

Elements Organizer

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Elements Organizer User Guide
Introduction
Workspace and workflow
Importing media files
Viewing and fixing media files
Marking places, faces, and events
Managing catalogs, folders, and albums
Searching photos and videos
Creating photo projects
Creating video projects
1. Create instant movies and video stories
2. Viewing video projects
Printing, sharing, and exporting

Learn how to import your media files and keywords in Elements Organizer.

Elements Organizer makes it easy for you to import a large number of media files at one go.

The intuitive, visual interface that the "Import in Bulk" feature provides makes it easy for you to select the folders from which you want to import media files. You can also preview your media files, select which folders or subfolders to import, and choose which keyword tags to import into Elements Organizer.

Launching the Import in Bulk interface

As part of the onboarding experience of Elements Organizer, the Import in Bulk feature is automatically launched when you run Elements Organizer for the first time or create a new catalog.

You can also launch this feature anytime by selecting Import > In Bulk.

The Import in Bulk feature is automatically launched when you launch Elements Organizer for the first time or when you create a new catalog.

Click Start Importing. The Import Files dialog box is displayed. By default, the "Pictures" (Mac OS) or "My Pictures" (Windows) folder is selected for import.

To import your media files, click Import.

For more details, see the next section, Importing your media files.

You can launch the Import in Bulk interface any time by selecting Import >In Bulk.

The Import Media dialog box is displayed.

To start importing your media files, click Import.

For more information, see the next section Importing your media files.

Import media from cloud storage

In Elements Organizer you can keep your media files in cloud storage such as Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive, and Dropbox in sync with your local catalog. To do this you need to set up your preferred cloud storage on your PC and then add the cloud backup folders to your Watch Folders in Elements Organizer.

Set up your cloud storage

To set up Microsoft OneDrive, see this Microsoft documentation
To set up Google Drive, see this Google documentation
To set up Dropbox, see this Dropbox documentation

Note:

Ensure that you set up your cloud storage with default options as it allows easier sync of folders.

Add cloud storage folders to Elements Organizer

To ensure easy import of media into Elements Organizer from your cloud storage folders, your Watch Folder list should contain the local cloud storage folder. If you’re launching Elements Organizer for the first time and already have the cloud storage apps installed on your PC, your Watch Folder will automatically contain these folders.

To import your files from these folders, select Import > In bulk or select File > Get Photos and Videos > In bulk. Click Import to add all your selected files from your cloud storage folders to your catalog. Since these folders are also present in your Watch Folders list, any new files that sync gets added automatically to your catalog in Elements Organizer.

Install cloud storage apps after first launch of Elements Organizer

If you have installed your cloud storage apps after the first launch of Elements Organizer, your OneDrive folder will automatically be added to the Watch Folder list and will also appear in the bulk import dialog box. To add Google Drive and Dropbox folders, click Add in the Watch Folders dialog box. Select your Google Drive or Dropbox folder from the Add Folder window. If you set up Dropbox at the default location, it appears under the Desktop icon. In case you set up in a custom location, browse to the Dropbox backup and sync folder and add it to your Watch Folders. In case of Google Drive, the folder is located under your user name in the Add Folder window.

Once you've added your desired folders to the Watch Folder, select Import > In bulk or select File > Get Photos and Videos > In bulk. Click Import to add all your selected files from your cloud storage folders to your catalog. Since these folders are also present in your Watch Folders list, any new files that sync gets added automatically to your catalog in Elements Organizer.

Importing your media files

In the left pane of the Import Media dialog box, choose the folders from which you want to import the media files.

The intuitive, visual interface makes it easy for you to import a large number of media files from various folders.

By default, Elements Organizer displays the My Pictures folder (Windows) or the Pictures folder (Mac OS). If any sub-folder contains one or more media files, the sub-folder is also displayed along with the files in it.

The number in the bottom right of the track (48 in the previous figure) shows the number of additional media files that are available for import in the folder but are not displayed on the track. To preview the complete list of all media files in a folder, click the arrow (>) mark at the bottom right of the track.
By default all subfolders are selected. If you want to remove one ore more subfolder from getting imported, click the name of the subfolder. The blue highlight on the subfolder name gets removed, indicating that the media files in the subfolder will not be imported.

Note:

To see the folder name with the highlight removed, ensure that the mouse cursor is not over the name of the folder.
To add another folder from which to import media files, click Add Folder. Navigate to the folder you want to add, and then click OK.

The following example shows a new folder, Photo Collateral. Notice that the subfolders inside the Photo Collateral folder (Thanksgiving 2014, Down memory lane 2010-15) are selected by default.
To remove a folder from the list, select the folder and then click Remove.
Once you have selected the folders and subfolders from which you want to import media files, click Import.

Elements organizer imports your media files from the folders and subfolders you have specified.

Importing keywords

If any keywords are associated with your media files, Elements Organizer prompts you to confirm whether you want to retain these keywords after the files are imported.

Select the keywords in the media files that you want to import, and then click OK.

Replacing the keywords in media files while importing

You can also replace the keywords with other keywords of your choice. For example, you might want to replace "Depth of field" with a new keyword named "Perspective". Or, you might want to replace a keyword with one of the keywords (tags) that you created earlier, for example "Nature".

To replace keywords, click Advanced. The Import Attached Keyword Tags dialog box is updated to show options to replace keywords.

You can change a keyword in any of the following ways:

Import as new keyword tag

To replace a keyword in your media files with a completely new keyword:

Select the keyword name in the Keyword Tags column
Select the radio button in the Import as New Keyword Tag Named column, and enter a new keyword name.
Click OK.

In the following example, the keyword tag "Too Bright" has been replaced with a new keyword "Overexposed".

Use an existing keyword tag

To replace a keyword tag in your media files with a keyword tag that exists in Elements Organizer:

Select the keyword in the Keyword Tags column (the first column).
Select the corresponding radio button in the Use an Existing Keyword Tag column (the third column), and then select an existing keyword.
Click OK.

In the following example, the keyword "Delicious" has been replaced with the existing keyword "Food".

Note:

The keywords in the dropdown menu show all existing keywords that you have created, plus the following keywords that are included by default in Elements Organizer:

Nature
Color
Photography
Other

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